, 1887-12-20
THE MOUND BUILDERS OF OHIO.
Professor Putnam's Address on Ancient
Americans

Professor Putnam's Address on Ancient
Americans
Professor F. w. Putnam, curator Of
Peabody museum Mt Cambridge, Mass,
and TCrh@ps the most distinguished arch
r"luGist il America. leCtuTCd before Tie
Western Reserve Historical society tic
other evening on tho mounds ard mound
luildCrs Of Ohio. Professor Putnam las
e,Cut two months in exploring the great
serpent mound in Adams county. There
were said the speaker, -four great
antique races or this continent, or the
people, if of n race, show a greater dI-
vcrsity than any other on earth. For
instance, we found in one mound in Ohio
1000 skeletons, and these were of vari-
GUS Gizes and differed in their character
istics. h four great races can be
resolved into two-the long headed peo-
pie and the people with short and broad
heads. There is evidence that the long
headed people came from northern Asia,
and, crossing Behring strait, continued
their way downward as far as California.
Then they crossed to he great lakes,
went down the st, Lawrence, made their
way along the Atlantic coast as far south
rs North Carolina, and spread themselves
into Ohio and Pennsylvania. There is
evidence that they rescmbled the people
of northern Asia in face and form.
''The short headed people had the char
acteristics of the people of southern Asia,
and resemblcd the Malay race. The first
traces of them we find in Peru and Cen
trail America. From there they worked
toward the north into Mexico, New
Mexico, Arizona, and following the rivers
which empty into the gulf of Mexico,
notably the Mississippi, they mingled Mt
last with the long headed people in Ten
nessee and Ohio, and were finally abb
sorbed by them. The Indian is n dcscen-
dant of those two races" The speaker
then went OF to describe the mounds
built by these people. He told how the
former method of digging a hole in the
center of the mound, whiclrsHas at first
practiced by explorers. has beer ADAM
doned for n more exhaustive method of
research. Professor Putnam does not
excavate the mounds. but slices them off
in perpendicular sections until the whole
mound has been laid open to inspection.
He described at length the use of the
mounds for burial, and said there were
many ways in which the bodies were
prepared for interment. Sometimes they
were cremated and sometimes simply laid
in the ground; sometimes n rough stone
tomb surrounded the bodies, sometimes n
sort of log house work of timber.
Besides the burial mounds, there are
other mounds, " said the speaker. THAT
is, mounds used for great religious cere-
monies. l rave been making explora-
tions in the Little Miami valley, and am
glad at this time TO pay n tribute to the
work of Col. Whittlesay in the Little
Miami valley. To him we owe much of
our information of tho ancient Lake
Superior mining, as well as of the mounds
of the Little Miami valley. The mounds
in that valley are sacred mounds; that is,
they were for the purpose of sacrifice and
religious ceremonies. On these mounds
fires were kindled and sacrifices were
made-not human sacrifices, but sacri-
fees 10 the fire. In one of these mounds
we found terra Gotta figures, beautifully
carved and perfect representations of
people in a perfect attitude of rest, and
there was nothing to suggest action.
There were, besides, these stone of inn
ages of fine shape. There were copper
pendants and thousands of copper beads.
Many earrings were found of copper COW
cred with native silver, and over 60, 900
pearls. 1t seemed as if all the pearls of
all the tribes had beer cast upon this
altar. We have found these affairs in
several mounds, and sometimes we found
several affairs, so you see many of the
great mounds were for other purposes
than burial"
Having spoken of the mounds, the
speaker introduced the subject of the
serpent in Adams county. Tho SER
pcnt.' said he, twas worshiped by the
blcNicans and Peruvians, and it appar-
emily served some purpose among the an
cicnt people of Ohio. We nave one rep